Missing Link In Human Evolution, Transhumanism, And The Trend Of Modern Evolution
There is no doubt to the fact that evolution is a continuous process. But the question here is: What are we evolving into? There have been speculations that humans are fast evolving with superhuman abilities. But before we look into it in details, I’d love to take us through a journey into some evolutionary trends that led to what we have now.
We all know that it’s been proven that humans (and other complex creatures) began from a simpler life form, which began at the bottom of the ocean (at least, I made a post on it some days ago). But one thing I would state here is this: No matter the source and nature of the first life form, one thing is certain; it has evolved through some billions of years.
But whatever we may have known about the theory of evolution, there are still some areas that are not covered by the evolutionary trend, and this area is called “The Missing Link”
This “missing link” has been used to connote the transitional gap between the evolution of some hominid groups. For example; about 10million years ago, the ancient ancestor of man; the ape, underwent a dramatic massive change in genetic makeup which altered their resident chromosomes. These changes gave rise to the birth of new sets of genes.
According to Charles Darwin, in his 1859 publication titled “The Origin of Species”:
Organisms evolved over the period of some generations through the natural process of selection… But there are deficiencies in transitional fossils which have been the gravest opposition to the process of evolution. – Charles Darwin [Paraphrased by me]
These deficiencies in transitional fossils have been the major reason behind the “missing link”
There has also been an argument that the idea of missing link precedes the theory of evolution. Yes, we are all aware of our common decent in ancestry, at least the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) buttresses this fact. And there are other buttresses to this fact like:
- Comparative embryology
- Comparative anatomy
- Paleontology (fossil record)
- Development of vestigial organ
But the questions that come to mind are these:
- Are we still evolving, or have we started de-evolving?
- If we are still evolving, where is the destination of human evolution?
Let me try to answer the second question from the trend of emerging technology happening in this era. About two years ago, there was a proposition made by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; DARPA to create the indestructible “Universal Soldiers” with an added tweaking like: X-ray vision, Telescopic vision, Bionic sensors, and Metal Exo-skeleton.
Now, with all these advances, where does this leave humanity? Well, we are definitely approaching the era of the “Posthumans and Transhumans” (H++).
Before now, the only area of transhumanism considered by futurists is the area of the mind, but 21st century technologies have changed all that.
There is also a possibility that could arrive in the future, and this is the merger of transhumanism and singularity.
Transhumanism meets singularity
Theoretically, when technology has advanced so deeply, humankind will experience an irreversible and dramatic change. Believe me, this era will disobey some natural laws.
Just like a friend humorously said:
ETs are our future selves which went back through space-time continuum to slow down the outbreak of nuclear war which could trigger genetic transmutation. This will ultimately prevent the speedy development of humans into synthetic bodies – Obi Odogwu
I’m just thinking about the possibilities associated with the merger of transhumanism and singularity. Very soon humankind could achieve feats like inter-dimensional travels through portal wormholes.
Let’s just watch and see as the future unfolds.
Tech Rules!!
References for further reading: Ref1, Ref2, Ref3, Ref4
